My Secret To Hide
by elizaxbethx3
Summary: Corinne Gilbert is Elena's younger sister who spent her summer following the death of her parents in Europe. She was supposed to be on a tour with her dance company- and for the most part that was true. No one would've found out what really happened in Europe if Damon Salvatore hadn't came back to town and made his life mission to discover her secrets. Tyler/OC. Eventual OC/Stefan.
1. One

**AN** : I've been writing this story for such a long time! It's inspired by a story I came across that was deleted. I promise the next chapters will be longer and more in line with the canon. I hope you love this story as much as I do! Let me know what you with by sending a PM or writing a review below! Thanks, elizaxbethx3 ! :)

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Corinne Gilbert rushed down the school corridors trying to make herself look presentable and less like she'd been on an airplane the past twelve hours whilst also make it to her favorite class on time; especially since in order to do so she'd came straight from the airport without changing clothes or dropping her luggage back home. She slides off her brand new Louis Vuitton sunglasses, shoving them into her Gucci handbag, and dragging her perfectly manicured fingers through her long, curly brunette locks. Finally at the classroom, she pushed open the door stumbling and sighing dramatically- much to the amusement to her classmates and dismay of her teacher.

"Hey, Mr. Tanner so sorry I'm not on time. I got stuck at the airport because my flight was delayed and the official trying to explain the delay spoke a weird foreign language that I didn't understand and I kept saying that I was trying to get home in time for my favorite class and this went on until some lady came over and translated whatever the guy said. Other than that I would completely recommend Europe for your next vacation." Corinne explained, walking towards the back of the classroom and taking her usual seat next to her sister's former boyfriend Matt Donovan and her lifelong crush Tyler Lockwood.

Mr. Tanner sighed. "Please stop talking and take a seat Corinne. And since you're so eager to be back I presume you wouldn't mind telling the class how many casualties resulted in the battle of Willow-"

"346 casualties and 27 civilians who were apparently killed according to the cute new guy whose name I didn't seem to catch."

"Very good."

Corinne smiled brightly. "It's good to be home."

Mr. Tanner simply rolled his eyes, continuing his lesson for the remainder of the class period. "As I was saying…"

As class ended, Corinne made her way into the crowded corridors; smiling coolly and waving at everyone, pretending not to see the pitying looks on their faces or hear them whispering about her 'tragic' past.

She's almost to her next class when she hears a familiar voice- one that could only belong to her best friend Caroline Forbes. "Corinne!" Caroline squeals, wrapping the younger girl into a bone crushing embrace that left her gasping for air.

"Hi friend." Corinne greeted.

Caroline looked her over for any changes- other than her hair there weren't any. "I know that we Skyped every day, but I missed you so, so much!"

"I missed you too. God, I even missed my super annoying and bossy sister and my moody stoner brother and clueless Aunt Jenna."

"Wow." Caroline said. "I never thought there'd come a day when Corinne Gilbert admitted she cared about someone other than herself."

Corinne tried to hide the hurt look on her face at Caroline's obvious insensitivity. "I'm going to go find Elena."

"Okay. I'll talk to you tonight at the Grille."

"Yeah." Corinne agreed, before disappearing into the crowd of peopled and searching for her big sister who she'd not seen in three months- not since the funeral procession. She planned on going to Europe long before her parents died; and since the expenses were already paid so even if she didn't want to go she'd still been made too.

It didn't matter since she still wanted to go anyways; plus she was the best dancer at her company and was the reason they were invited on the tour in the first place. She didn't leave things in a good place with Elena and there was a lot they needed to talk about, but for now she just wanted to find her big sister and feel the comfort of her arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace.

They were always close- closer than Corinne and Jeremy who were only close in the sense that they weren't close at all. She really didn't have a choice to be close with Elena considering they shared not only a house but also a bedroom.

"Corinne?"

"Elena!" Corinne shouted, weaving her way through the people between them and when she finally reached her sister springing into her arms- which surprised Elena. (Corinne normally didn't like being touched and typically didn't initiate physical contact with anyone other than Tyler.)

She breathed in the familiar scent of her sister who always smelled just like their mother- their dead mother. "I missed you." Corinne said, swiping at the tears filling her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Elena didn't say anything, simply holding her sister in her arms and finding herself able to relax for the first time since Corinne left Mystic Falls. "I missed you too."

Corinne reluctantly untangled herself from Elena, letting out a half-laugh half-sob in the process. "I like your hair." Elena said, referring to the red streaks in her sister's hair sporadically- making her look different and more grownup.

"Right? So I haven't been home yet…" Corinne awkwardly stated, fidgeting.

Elena knew that was Corinne's way of saying: " _I don't want to go alone but I don't want to sound like a baby or make you think I need you_." She smiled. "I have to change clothes before I go to the Grille anyways."

Corinne visibly relaxed. "Okay."

They walked together quietly, enjoying the other's presence since their friendliness wouldn't remain forever and Corinne would go back to blaming her for their parent's death and everything else that went wrong in their lives.

Corinne couldn't believe how different the house felt when it looked exactly the same; the same pictures hung above the mantle, papers scattered on the coffee table, and candles filling the room with a pleasant aroma and glow of light. "Wow." She murmured, brushing her fingers across everything she passed- which made Elena laugh at the childish display.

She always possessed this aura of innocence and childlike tendencies everyone loved to make-fun of her for behind her back. Everyone knew better than to bring something like that up around Corinne- that was a mistake people only made once.

"Do you want to go upstairs?" Elena asked.

Corinne nodded. "I can't wait to sleep in my own bed."

 _That was a_ _lie_.

Elena and Corinne both knew Corinne would climb into Elena's bed before the night was over- another childlike tendency that started way before their parents died. Still, Elena went along with her sister's charade. "Mm Hm."

Corinne continued to look around and become reacquainted with all her things that stayed behind while she was in Europe. She looked deep in thought for a moment. "I wished you were there with me sometimes."

Elena was surprised to hear Corinne admit something like that and took into account her averted eyes and flushed cheeks. She never understood why Corinne was so embarrassed by letting people know she needed them or cared about them- again, except Tyler.

Another thing Elena didn't understand was her sister's infatuation with Tyler Lockwood even though the boy was arguably the biggest player in town and toyed with girls feeling without a second thought. Yet Corinne thought of him as God's gift to girls everywhere.

"Elena?"

"Yeah?" Elena turned her attention back to Corinne.

"I… never mind, I'm going to take a shower and go to the Grille with you to see everyone else." Corinne knotted her fingers together. "So far I've only seen Caroline and you."

"Alright, I'll be downstairs. Holler if you need anything."

Corinne smiled and rolled her eyes, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over her body. "I won't need anything."

 **To be continued**...


	2. Two

**AN** : Hi everyone! Sorry about the long wait between updates, I want this story to be perfect and I think I finally got this chapter right! Let me know what y'all think! :) I really appreciate all the favorites and follows and would love to see some reviews in my inbox! Enjoy! :)

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Corinne climbed into the driver's side of Elena's SUV. She shoves the keys in the ignition and smiles at the engine roars to life, awakening with it Corinne's stereo blaring _Hands_ _Down_ by Dashboard Confessional. She carelessly backs out of the winding driveway and shift the gear from reverse, slams on the gas and speeds off down the road. Elena – in the passenger seat holding onto the emergency handle above the door – reaches over and turns off Corinne's obnoxious music; hoping that maybe without the distraction Corinne would slow down.

 _She_ _didn't_.

"Hey!" Corinne exclaimed, trying to drive with one hand and turn the stereo back on. "Corinne!" Elena scolded. "Slow down and put both hands on the wheel!"

Sighing, Corinne said, "Fine," and slowed her pace until she reached the Grille. "I am _never_ riding with you again!" Elena proclaimed, smacking Corinne's arm on their way inside.

Corinne shrugged, "Guess we won't be going anywhere together any time soon."

Elena watched in confusion as Corinne entered the Grille, trying her hardest to ignore the fact that something was wrong with her sister, before following inside and stopping to talk to Caroline while Corinne caught up with Bonnie.

"Corinne! I missed you so much!" Bonnie cried, pulling her younger friend into a quick hug – which gave Corinne no time to protest – then pulling her arm's length away to look her over for changes- much like Caroline and Elena had done. "I like your hair."

"Thanks, so did Elena and Care." Corinne paused, Bonnie was like another of her big sisters. "I missed you too. By the way, I got your emails… I love Grams, but she's crazy."

Bonnie's Grams – also known as Miss Sheila Bennett – was, for lack of a better word, crazy. She taught Occult Arts at a local college; and for as long as Corinne can remember, Gram's has been telling Bonnie she's a witch, but Gram's drinks a lot of liquor, so they wrote it off as her being drunk.

"She's been asking about you lately."

Corinne's brows furrowed, "Me? Why?"

Shrugging, Bonnie said, "I'm not sure, but you should come over soon." Grams always preferred Corinne over any of Bonnie's other friends, none of them knew why though.

"Hm, I have a lot of stuff to unpack, but if you want we can go to the party on Friday?"

"Great!" Bonnie laughed, and tried to hide her smile as Corinne was lifted off her feet and held in familiar arms- she immediately recognized as Matt held her in a tight embrace. "Hey stranger."

"Matty!" Corinne beamed, hugging the taller boy back just as tightly. "God, I missed you!"

"I'll let you guys catch up," Bonnie said, heading over to Elena and Caroline.

"I heard about the break-up," Corinne said, "That's rough. I took some self-defense lessons in Europe, I could probably take her down."

Matt smiled sadly, "Thanks for the offer Corinne, but I really just want her back."

Corinne frowned, "I'm sorry I wasn't here." She'd been in Paris at the time, but received dozens of emails from Elena – probably more from Caroline – claiming to need space; and considering their parents died, Elena did need space. So did Corinne, that's why she left. Naturally, Corinne sympathized with her sister, but Matt was one of her best friend's and like a brother to her, and that wasn't going to change because him and Elena's broke-up.

"Let's sit down." He suggested, pointing to a nearby table with two empty seats, which Corinne gladly followed him over too and sat down. "So…"

"I'm glad as Hell you're back Corinne, because I really missed you," He paused, "Also because I'm tired of Caroline's whining. Mystic Falls isn't the same without Corinne Gilbert about to liven it up."

Corinne laughed, smiled genuinely, "Thanks- I think?"

They were both quiet for a moment, both knowing what was coming. "So," Matt took a deep breath, "How are you Corinne?" He asked, knowing she hated that question, but feeling the need to ask. "Honestly."

"Great." Corinne answered, too fast for both her and Matt's likening; because it sounding like she was saying for the sake of saying it and she was, but she didn't want Matt to know that. Matt was smarter than everyone thought, "I know you're lying." He wasn't accusing her, just stating the obvious.

"Honestly Matty? I don't know yet. I knew I couldn't stay in Europe forever, but I kind of wanted too. It was easier to grieve there, nobody expected me to be crying and sad and I was just another pretty teenaged girl, so no one care how much I drank or how late I stayed out at night. But the longer I stayed, the harder it was to come back home.." She paused, "Sorry I haven't talked about this yet. In Europe, I didn't have to focus on anything but dancing and that was exactly what I needed… and now that I'm home, all of my issues are exactly where I left them."

Matt reached across the table and gently squeezed Corinne's hand, covering it with his much larger one, "That's rough," He said, using her words from earlier- which made her smile brightly, "I just hope you know that you aren't alone."

"I know." She took a big deep breath, "I don't normally say stuff like this, but… I came home for you guys. When I was in Europe I realized that I might have lost my parents, but I didn't lose my family."

Matt sighed, standing up and pulling Corinne into another hug, "Now you're gonna' make me cry."

Corinne laughed, "No use prolonging the inevitable."

"Hey, I'm gonna' go check on Vick. Are you gonna' be okay?"

"Go!" Corinne ordered, sighing and looking around the Grille at all of the familiar faces- scowling when she found the one she'd been looking for; Tyler Lockwood. If Vicki wasn't Matt's sister, Corinne would've beat the Hell out of her long ago- she might come off as innocent and petite, but the girl could pack a punch.

Jeremy was probably to thank for that; they spent years play fighting and fighting for real; Elena didn't like roughhousing with them, so it was always Corinne and Jeremy. They broke _a_ _lot_ of vases growing up; and considering Corinne was ' _Daddy's_ _Little_ _Girl'_ they didn't get in as much trouble as they should have.

"Corinne!"

Drawled out of the thoughts, Corinne turned to see Caroline waving her over to a table with Elena, Bonnie, and a boy she didn't recognize. If she would've been paying attention, she would've recognized him as the boy from Mr. Tanner's class. She sat down in-between Elena and Bonnie, "Hi," She greeted.

Elena smiled, "Stefan this is my sister Corinne, she's been in Europe for the past few months." Stefan smiled and politely said, "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Corinne murmured.

She was absentmindedly sipping her diet coke through a straw, pretending to pay attention to Caroline playing 20 Questions with Stefan. She wasn't interested in the conversation and would rather be unpacking or catching up with Jeremy and Tyler.

Matt was watching disgustedly as Elena flirted with Stefan; and Corinne was watching angrily as Vickie – Matt's sister – was flirting with Tyler. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and sent a message, watching as Corinne glanced down at her phone and smiled.

 ** _Want a ride home? x Matt_**

She quickly texted back.

 ** _Perfect! I'll drive. x Corinne_**

Corinne stood up and turned to Stefan, "It was nice meeting you Stefan. I'll see you at home 'Lena," She called over her shoulder, disappearing before Elena could respond.

"Ready?" Matt asked.

"Ready."

 **To be continued...**


	3. Three

**AN** : I wrote and rewrote this chapter like 3x and didn't particularly like any of them – I write bits and pieces as inspiration strikes, so piecing them together is always hard. I'm on break right now (all week) so I have plenty of time to write and hope to post at least once more. I'm also in the process of writing a Teen Wolf 'fic' about an OC – Olivia – who's Allison's baby sister (she's like 14). I have a review requirement before my next update (yes, I'm being _that_ writer) of 3 reviews (more is always lovely) so I hope to see some in my inbox. I love PM'ing so if you want to talk about any problems, errors, etc. in my story, just send me one – I love ideas! Alright, enough of my nonsense, enjoy! :)

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Corinne fell back onto her bed, taking in the familiar smell of her laundry detergent and feeling of her bedspread; smiling widely to herself at the fact that her side of the room was still exactly like she left it all those months ago. The bed was still teeming with pillows and shelves were still filled with books, her vanity was still littered with makeup and nail polish and jewelry from the last time Caroline had been over; her mannequin was still dressed in her favorite outfit and shoes were placed methodically on the shelves.

Elena's side wasn't much different; and Corinne didn't know why something as simple as a bedroom being the same gave her such a sense of comfort. Elena would probably have a theory like she did for every other one of Corinne's strange behaviors; Corinne didn't like being over analyzed so Elena kept those theories to herself. But at that particular moment, she wanted nothing more than to hear Elena describe all of her silly habits.

The next days passed similar to the days before them; Corinne reunited with friends and acquaintances (enemies if you counted Vickie) and suffered through the condescending apologies and hugs Elena had endured after the funeral. The apologies weren't the worst part, the worst part was all the people asking her questions about her trip to Europe; but she quickly discovered which people to avoid, which questions to dodge, and which required formulating lies (on the plus side, her lying skills improved greatly). There were good moments too; like when she and Jeremy stayed up all night playing _Fallout_ _3_ and trash-talking each other, Jeremy occasionally letting her win and her pretending not to notice.

She went shopping with Caroline, who 'needed' a new outfit to wear to the party- an outfit that would impress Stefan no doubt. Corinne knew it was pointless; Stefan was so obviously into Elena, and it was just as obvious that Elena felt the same way.

Corinne wished Tyler was that transparent.

She'd yet to reunite with him; and that was because she wanted him to approach her, but she wasn't holding her breath for that to happen. Not when Tyler spent the summer screwing Vickie Donovan – Jeremy's girl – and probably other girls too; not bothering to answer any of Corinne's emails or phone calls. The worst part was, Corinne expected that from him; Tyler was and will always be, a player.

Corinne wasn't exactly innocent either, she'd done her fair share of 'cheating' while she was in Europe; but they weren't officially together, so it wasn't really cheating. But she definitely didn't sleep around as much as Tyler did; and she could count the number of people she'd slept with in Europe and in Mystic Fall's on one hand. Tyler would throw that back in her face if he knew, which is why she wasn't going to tell him.

That was one of Corinne's specialties; secrets. All of the Gilbert children were good at keeping secrets; secrets for each other and secrets from each other.

The shrill ringing of her cell phone startled her out of her thoughts; and she tried to blink herself back into reality. "Hey?"

"Hey. Are you ready? I can come-"

"No." Corinne quickly cut her off, "I'll walk, I could use some fresh air."

Bonnie scoffed, "Corinne-"

"I'll see you soon."

Corinne pushed the conversation she'd had with Grams to the back of her mind; choosing to think about getting drunk and getting Tyler to notice her first instead. She dressed more scandalous than she normally did, wearing a short black dress (she bought it in a boutique in Paris) and a pair of Louboutin pumps. There were a few hitches in her plan, such as A) Jenna would flip if she saw that she was wearing and B) looking older didn't serve its purpose if she didn't also act older.

Bonnie managed to convince Corinne to let her drive them to the party- Corinne didn't know why she agreed, but it wasn't as bad as she imagined. Still, as soon as they parked Corinne hopped out of the car, abandoning Bonnie in search of a drink.

 _Now that she could drink again._

She surveyed the area; Elena was with Bonnie, Caroline was with Stefan, Matt was talking to some of his football buddies, and Tyler was leaned against a tree, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a beer bottle to his lips.

Taking a deep breath, she started towards him (this didn't count as her approaching him first since she was technically going to get a drink) trying not to stumble in the uncomfortable heels she'd chosen to wear. After she got that drink, she'd be stumbling all over the place.

She reached across the table for a plastic cup and filled it with keg-pumped beer; her dress rising up just the tiniest bit. She downed the beer in one gulp quickly refilling her cup and repeating that process two more times.

Satisfied, Corinne headed over to Tyler, "Hey."

He looked her up and down, loving how grown-up she looked tonight and wondering when exactly she'd gotten that way, "Corinne? You look…"

She bit her lip, nodding, "I look great, huh?"

He stifled a laugh, she was definitely drunk. "I was going to say hot, but great works too."

"Hm, wanna' go see how hot I look without this dress on?"

He knew it was wrong.

 _She's_ _a fifteen year old kid and she's_ _drunk_.

"Fuck it." He decided, leading her out of the party and into the dark, "I don't want Jeremy to see us." He explained, and Corinne – who was only partly aware of her surroundings – nodded, giggling. "It's our little secret."

Tyler smirked, "Exactly."

Suddenly, their lips were touching, hands roaming each other's bodies, each of them fighting for control. Corinne kept deepening the kiss, wanting more, "I want you." She panted.

That was all Tyler needed to hear.

"That was nice," Corinne murmured, absentmindedly tracing circles on his chest; completely content with life. "I like moments like this, when it's just us together," She continued to murmur. "Tyler."

He didn't bother opening his eyes, "Yeah?"

"I love you."

Tyler froze, unable to react to what she'd just said, unable to do anything but lay there and replay those words over and over again in his head.

 _"I love you."_

Did Corinne really mean that – or was she sad and lonely and needing someone to love? Did she even know what she was saying right now?

 _She was drunk._ He told himself. I _t doesn't mean anything._

By the time his mind stopped spinning, she was asleep. He carefully stood up with her in his arms and carried her over to his car; buckling her in the passenger seat (she'd kill him if she woke up without a seatbelt on) and quietly closing the door. He got in the driver's side and started the ignition, wincing when the radio blared and quickly turning it off, glancing over to make sure Corinne was still asleep- she was, before turning on the heat.

Thankfully, Corinne slept the entire drive (which wasn't very long) home; the downside to that was Tyler having to carry her into her house and that risked being caught by Jeremy or Jenna. He sighed, digging through Corinne's purse until her phone was in his hand and sending a text to Jenna.

 ** _Staying at Care's tonight. x Corinne_**

Corinne probably wouldn't be happy about him taking her to his house, but it was better than getting them both in trouble by taking her to house; his parents loved Corinne so having her stay over wouldn't be an issue.

 _That and they'd be asleep._

Back at his house, Tyler quietly snuck through the back door that lead to his bedroom, laying Corinne down on the center of the bed and getting comfortable in the armchair beside it. He turned off the lights and was asleep within minutes; Corinne's words still on repeat in his head.

 _"I love you."_

 **To be continued...**


	4. Four

**AN** : Hi pals, I'm sorry for the false updates; I have this story all mapped out in my head down to the sequel (I even have the summary ready, lol) but actually writing down what's in my head is harder than it sounds. This chapter was especially hard because I find the episode Night of The Comet incredibly boring and impossible to write about even with an OC. Alas, I finished this chapter and have the next one started and planned, so I might be able to post twice today. I hope you enjoy; and remember to REVIEW for quicker updates! :)

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"Morning sunshine," said an all too familiar voice. "Sleep well?"

Corinne awoke to Tyler walking out of steamy bathroom in just a towel, beads of water glistening on his chest. "I'm dreaming?" she guessed, stifling a yawn.

She looked even younger than normal sitting on his bed with the blankets bunched around her, wearing nothing but his football jersey (and her lacey panties) with wide eyes and bedhead. His thoughts from the previous night, 'she's fifteen and she's drunk' and his guilty conscious returned.

He sat down on the edge of his bed, "I brought you here last night after… yeah, I didn't want to get you in trouble with your- with Jenna."

"Oh."

"Oh." He mocked, smirking as Corinne's nose scrunched up and eyebrows drew together. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem." He replied, getting up and going straight to his closet to grab some clothes, quickly getting dressed before returning to Corinne's side. "I have an early morning practice, but I can drive you home first if you want."

She already rode with him last night and nothing happened. "Okay."

"Okay."

* * *

Corinne stifled a laugh; hiding her face (and her phone) behind a textbook as she texted Caroline the inventory of her closet- which was Caroline's way of making sure their outfits didn't clash at the tows celebration tomorrow night. They were planning on going shopping, but Corinne's sleepover with Tyler ruined that so Caroline was left to her own devices. Before Corinne went to Europe, Caroline could name every article of clothing in Corinne's closet, but she'd gotten so many new clothes in Europe that Caroline didn't stand a chance. Plus, Corinne already knew what she was wearing.

Her outfit would consist of black super skinny pants, a lacy magenta top, black cropped jacket, and a pair of black heeled ankle booties. ** Katherine's outfit in Memory Lane S2E4 ** She wasn't sure about hair, but she was leaning towards Victoria Secret 'bombshell' styled curls and a minimal amount of makeup.

"Originally discovered 145 years ago…" Mr. Tanner said, as everyone else listened disinterestedly, counting down the minutes on the clock. He turned his attention to Stefan and Elena; who were making longing faces at each other. "Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Ms. Gilbert?"

Corinne's head snapped-up at the sound of her last name, and she slipped her phone back into her purse and lay the textbook flat on her desk. "I-"

Mr. Tanner cut her off, "Not you Corinne." He said, rolling his eyes and muttering at the end, "This time."

Shrugging, Corinne pulled her phone back out and resumed her texting- not bothering with the textbook anymore. She could feel Mr. Tanner's eyes on her, ignoring his failed intimidation tactics. He sighed, taking the phone out of her hands and placing it on his desk. "As I was saying…"

Corinne's lips formed a pout and her eyebrows furrowed, "Rude," she muttered, but was quiet the duration of the class until the bell rang. She quickly gathered her belongings, and walked to stand in front of Mr. Tanner's desk expectantly. He waited until everyone else was out of the classroom- not including Elena, who was waiting on Corinne.

Mr. Tanner sighed, handing Corinne's phone over. "You're very lucky that giving you detention would be more of a punishment for me than for you."

Corinne smiled brightly when her phone was back in her hands, "Thanks Tanner."

She walked happily over to Elena, following her out of the classroom. "Why'd you wait for me?"

"I feared for Tanner's life." Elena teased, making both girls laugh as they entered the cafeteria, heading straight towards their normal table. Apparently, it wasn't going to be Corinne, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline anymore, because Stefan was sitting (albeit uncomfortably) next to a very perky Caroline. "Hey," she greeted, upon seeing her best friend.

Elena sat down on the other side of Stefan, and Corinne sat across from Caroline and beside (when she got there) Bonnie. They did girl-talk before the conversation shifted to Stefan. Corinne wasn't paying attention, rather looking fervently around the cafeteria for Tyler- something she'd regret very soon. She was pulled out of dreamland when Bonnie sat down. "Corinne?"

"Sorry. I was looking for…" she trailed off, uncomfortable with the attention focused on her alone. "Never mind."

Caroline tilted her head to the side, skeptically eyeing Corinne. "You know Cora, you never did tell me about your sleepover."

Only Caroline could get away with calling her Cora.

"What's there to say?" She asked, stabbing a piece of lettuce with her fork, touching her salad for the first time.

Elena saw the look of discomfort on her sister's face, not blind to the fact that Corinne's cheeks were flushing and she wasn't making eye-contact. "We can talk about it later Corinne," Elena suggested, shooting Caroline a warning look.

Caroline, who could sense Elena and Corinne growing closer as of late, rolled her eyes at Elena's suggestion. "Thanks for the suggestion. Anyways, Corinne." She looked expectantly at Corinne, who didn't notice because her gaze was downcast.

Bonnie, always the peacekeeper, looked to Caroline pleadingly. "Care."

Corinne didn't know what to think, or say; she was finally feeling the effects of being home. "I'm sorry. I have to go." She stood-up, grabbing her purse and abandoned her salad, practically running out of the cafeteria.

Not watching where she was going, she collided with a hard chest, "Ow," she muttered, picking herself off the floor and getting ready to go off on whoever knocked her down.

"Woah."

She found herself face-to-face with Tyler; who was sporting his signature grin. "Back already?" He asked, eliciting laughter from his friends and tears from Corinne; who wasn't in the emotional state to handle his antics.

He caressed her cheek, "Come on, don't cry. I'm always down for a good lay."

Corinne slapped his hand away, sneering, "Go to Hell" before storming off in the opposite direction; she could hear his friends laughing as his voice called out, "I love it when you play hard to get."

She couldn't get to the parking lot unless she passed the 'stoner pit' where Jeremy would no doubt be hanging out and getting high. As predicted, Jeremy was sharing a joint with Vickie Donovan when Corinne passed, swiping a hand over her teary face. "Here." He said, passing the joint to Vickie and running to catch Corinne.

"What's up?" He asked, taking in her disheveled appearance; Corinne smiled, appreciating that even stoned, Jeremy cared. "Nothing, I just… Tyler."

His eyes darkened, "He's dead."

"Jer!" Corinne shouted, sprinting and trying to slow him down, but (again) even stoned, Jeremy was still faster and stronger. He ignored her, going straight for Tyler.

"Lena!"

"Hey, I was about to come check on you." Elena answered, and Corinne shook her head, not at all concerned at the moment. "Jer's about to fight Tyler!"

Elena's eyes widened, watching Jeremy confront Tyler; part of her was proud that her little brother was protecting her little sister, the other part knew Jeremy was going to get his ass kicked against Tyler. "Come on."

There was a crowd growing around them. "What did you do to my sister?" Jeremy growled.

Tyler smirked. "She was all over me." He paused. "Look on the bright side, while I'm screwing your sister you'll have Vickie all to yourself."

 _That was all it took for Jeremy to start swinging._

Corinne watched as Tyler swung his fist back, and without thinking threw herself in front of Jeremy.

That was all she remembered before it all went black.

* * *

 **To be continued...**


	5. Five

**AN** : This isn't an update. Although, I finished this chapter right after I posted the last chapter. I love that this story is getting so many Follows/Favorites but it's not getting nearly as many reviews; and as a writer, it's kind of disheartening. I can tell by the 52 Follows that people like this story, but without reviews I don't know what people like about it or don't like about it or etc. I know a lot of people say, 'you shouldn't write for reviews, you should write because you want too' but to grow as a writer, you need feedback; to hear what you're doing right, what you need to work on, what you're doing wrong, etc. etc. Believe me, I do plenty of writing because I want too, but wanting to do something isn't always enough; knowing that someone else wants you to write is so important – which is why I always leave a review if possible, admittedly sometimes I follow the 'if you don't have anything nice to say' rule, because I don't want to be rude. Anyways, I've been spending a lot of time writing lately, and I've got about the next 5-6 chapters of this story complete, other than minor editing details that can be easily fixed. I've also decided that I'm not going to update until I start getting reviews that tell me what you like, don't like, what you want to happen, pairings, questions, anything other than 'update soon' suffices. I promise to update as soon as you guys start reviewing, I'm hoping that's soon because these next few chapters are going to be really good and informative as to Corinne's weirdness.

 **Review** **Ideas** :

\- Who do you want Corinne to be paired with as endgame? Why?

\- What do you think/want to have happened to Corinne in Europe? Why?

\- How do you want Corinne and Damon to interact? Why?

\- What do you think of Corinne so far?

\- How episode-based would you like the chapters to be? I.E. Do you want me to include the scenes that Corinne's not in, write Corinne into every scene, or try to fit each episode into one long chapter, etc.?

 **Thanks sm! :)**


	6. Six

**AN** : Oh my goodness! Thank y'all so, so, so much! (Excuse the y'all, I'm from West Virginia, lol.) Anyways, I'm so happy; I asked for reviews and you guys delivered even more than I expected! I absolutely loved all of the suggestions/pairing requests, so I wrote out responses and composed a list (in order):

 _Stefan_ ; Endgame. Guest reviewer who said that Stefan and Corinne both deserved better than what they had was absolutely right; although I admit I ship Stelena seasons 1-3 and Steroline seasons 5 on, but nothing compares to my lovely OTP Delena so I don't write and prefer not to read Damon/OC stories. I also don't like stories that change canon Stelena, so Stefan/Corinne won't happen until season 3 for sure. I promise it will be worth the wait!

 _Tyler_ ; Ah, I love OC/Tyler stories… I ship him with Caroline in seasons 1-4 and used to ship them as endgame, until Tyler because a jerk in season 5 and sent me straight to Steroline! He's unsure of his feelings for Corinne, especially because she's younger and his entire personality is based on maintaining his reputation. She's going to chase him and his actions will prove him not worthy, but it's Stefan who shows her she deserves more.

 _Damon_ ; Two words: statutory rape. Not going to happen, sorry!

I hope you like this chapter, it made me cry! I can't wait to see/hear what you guys think. Thanks, and enjoy! :)

* * *

Corinne groaned, trying to roll over and realizing she wasn't in her bed, or even her bedroom. She blinked her eyes open a few times, ignoring the throbbing sensation it caused; and eventually saw that she was in a hospital room. Trying to sit-up, Corinne groaned in pain, "Ugh."

"Hey," Jenna said, tossing the VOGUE magazine she'd been reading aside, and walking over to Corinne's side. She sighed, relieved and brushed the stray curls out of Corinne's face. "How do you feel?"

Corinne's eyes were bleary, even straining them – painfully – Jenna looked fuzzy. "Jenna?"

"I'm right here." Jenna replied, squeezing the hand that wasn't in a cast. "I want-" Corinne's voice cracked. "Where's Lena?"

Jenna frowned, Corinne sounded so fragile, needy, and not like herself. "I made her go home," she reluctantly admitted, regretting it immediately when tears pooled Corinne's eyes. "Shh, I'll text her right now, she'll come back," she soothed, forcing herself not to cry too.

Corinne tried to nod, but it hurt, making her give-up; all she wanted was for the pain to stop and for Elena to be there. The tears she'd been trying to repress spilled over, stinging her cheek and making her remember she'd been punched in the face. "Tyler," she whispered.

The memories scene played out in her mind; she'd been eating lunch, Caroline was being pushy, the pain of being home set-in, running into Tyler, him being a dick, his friends laughing, sneaking out the back doors, running into Jeremy, running after Jeremy, looking for Elena, watching as Jeremy and Tyler argued, saw Tyler swing his first back, jumping in-front of Jeremy, blacking out.

"Jenna," she mumbled. "Doctor."

"Damn it," Jenna exclaimed, quickly flagging down Dr. Fell. Thankfully, Dr. Fell wasn't busy, instead standing right down the hallway. "She's awake," Jenna explained, leading Dr. Fell back to Corinne's room. "She needs something for the pain."

Nodding, Dr. Fell closed the door behind them, grabbing Corinne's charts and glancing them over. "Hi, Corinne, I'm Dr. Fell. Do you remember what happened?"

"Mm Hm," Corinne mused, trying to block out the throbbing pain in her head and wrist. "My head hurts."

"I'll have the nurse bring you something for the pain." Dr. Fell assured, using her pager to contact Corinne's assigned nurse.

The pager beeped, making Corinne wince. Jenna shot Dr. Fell a questioning glance, "It beeps when they get the message." She explained, turning back to Corinne. "You have a concussion and your wrist is sprained; I'm releasing you tomorrow morning. The medicine will make you sleep, when you wake-up you'll need your vitals rechecked and another dose of medicine. Any questions?"

"No," Corinne mumbled, already feeling sleepy.

Dr. Fell led Jenna into the hallway, closing the door so Corinne wouldn't hear their conversation. "She's got a pretty bad concussion; I wouldn't recommend leaving her home alone for the next few days. Don't be surprised if she sleeps most of the day, make sure she drinks plenty of fluids so she doesn't get dehydrated. The pain medication I'm prescribing is strong, so don't let her take more than two in a six-hour window. If you have any questions, come find me."

"Thank you," Jenna said, watching a nurse enter Corinne's room and give her the medication via IV before exiting, "Excuse me," she said, walking past Jenna and into another patient's room.

Jenna sighed, sliding down onto the floor in exhaustion. "Jenna," Elena called, joining her outside of Corinne's room. "How is she?"

"Not good. She was asking for you."

Elena saw the level of exhaustion on her aunt's face. "You should go home and get some sleep. I'll stay with her until you get back." She offered.

Jenna couldn't get out of there fast enough. "I'll be back before morning." She promised, leaving before Elena could change her mind.

Elena laughed, opening the door and seeing Corinne's eyes open. "Lena?"

"Yeah." She smiled, moving to sit down on the edge of her sister's bed. "It's me." Corinne visibly relaxed, "I'm sorry."

Elena's eyebrows furrowed, "For what?

"Blaming you." Corinne was drifting in and out of consciousness. "Lying to you… I should tell you what I did in- in Europe," she slurred, closing her eyes and drifting into a deep, painless, sleep.

Elena sighed, brushing Corinne's bangs back. "Good night, Corinne."

* * *

 **To be continued…**


	7. Seven

**AN** : Hi guys, so sorry about the lapse in updates! I've been writing this chapter since I posted the last one, but I couldn't get it perfect until now. I'm working on the next chapter now! ;) Let me know what you think! Thanks.

* * *

Corinne stood among the people in Town Square awaiting the return of a comet that only passed through Mystic Falls every 145 years. She wasn't particularly interested, but standing around and watching the sky was better than staying home and recovering from a concussion.

A concussion she wouldn't have if Tyler wasn't such a narcissistic bastard. It was sad that it took her getting punched in the face – albeit on accident – for her to realize how little Tyler cared for her or her feelings. She scoffed at how pathetic she was, another one of those girls who let a boy manipulate her again and again. It wasn't even that she believed his manipulation, more so that she didn't want to be alone or with anyone else.

She tried to remember the first time Tyler showed any interest in her, or more likely in her body; the moment that came to mind was at Elena's _Sweet_ _16_. Caroline and Elena chose her outfit and did her hair and makeup. The outfit consisted of a short black dress and a pair of 3" high-heels, neither of which fit her right. Caroline put dark eye-shadow and eyeliner on her to create a 'smoky eye' and Elena straightened her naturally curly hair. She looked way older than 13 – _almost 14_ – years old.

 _ **Flashback** :_

 _Corinne was well-aware people were watching her lustfully as her dress hemline rose, the thin straps of the little black dress slipping off her shoulders, but she couldn't find it in herself to care._

 _Tyler crushed yet another can of beer, immediately reaching into the cooler for another. He couldn't help but notice Corinne; she was wearing a little black dress that rested at the tops of her thighs, emphasizing her longish bare legs, the elastic material clutched her skin and showed off her slight figure. Her once straightened hair was now wavy and frizzy with heat, her face flushed and body glimmering with sweat. She looked..._

 _No, his subconscious warned. She's 13 and she's drunk and she's Elena's little sister._

 _He chugged the beer and grabbed another – and another – until the fact that Corinne was young and drunk and his friend's little sister no longer mattered._

 _Corinne sighed, tired of dancing; she pushed the boy's hands away from her body, starting towards the cooler in search of another drink. She stumbled in the high-heels, nearly smacking into Tyler and giggling breathlessly when his arms wrapped around her waist to prevent her from falling. "Thanks. I'm so, so, so, so sorry," she apologized._

 _Tyler grinned, "Mm. How 'bout you make it up to me?" He asked, taking her hand and leading her away from the other partying teenagers. Corinne, only partially aware of her surroundings let Tyler drag her into a secluded corner of the woods. "You look so sexy tonight." He whispered huskily, walking her backwards into a tree and making it so their bodies were almost touching._

 _"Mm, you too," Corinne mused, drawing circles on his chest with her fingertips, trailing from his chest down his abdomen and stopping unsurely at his waistline. "Oh no," Tyler laughed, capturing her tiny wrists in his hands. "I don't think you're ready for that yet. Let's try this instead." He said, leaning in closer until his lips reached hers and they were both fighting to deepen the kiss._

 _That was the night she lost her virginity to a boy she loved her entire life._

She shivered, regretting her decision not to dress warmer in spite of the cooler temperature, and starting to regret her decision to come at all. It wasn't like Tyler was going to apologize for being himself. "Corinne?" she spun around at the sound of a familiar – yet unfamiliar – voice, only to find herself face-to-face with "Stefan," she greeted, forcing a smile onto her face.

"You looked like you could use some company." He said, smiling warmly at the younger girl.

Corinne eyed him curiously, then crossed her arms. "Let me guess, my sister ended things before they started?" Stefan guiltily averted his gaze downward. "Of course," Corinne laughed, knowing his motives for talking to her were to get to Elena. "Well, sorry. But I'm really not in the mood to play match-maker."

Stefan frowned, "Is that why you think I wanted to talk to you?"

Corinne scoffed, "Why else would you talk to me?"

 _To warn you_ , Stefan thought.

"To get to know you," Stefan said.

Corinne frowned, "You have Elena."

"That doesn't mean we can't still be friends." He pointed out.

"Okay," Corinne hesitantly agreed, motioning for him to follow her through the maze of townspeople and not stopping until they were away from the crowd. "What do you want to know?" she asked.

 _Everything_ , Stefan thought.

"Depends on what you're willing to tell me," Stefan said, a teasing smile on his lips.

Corinne smiled, "Well, I'm sure Elena's already told you, but I'm a semi-professional dancer."

"Semi-professional?"

"I spent the summer performing in Europe, plus I've performed in New York and I went to a workshop at Julliard last summer. I have a scholarship to go there, Julliard." Corinne happily explained, wondering why she was telling a near stranger so much about herself. "Tell me something about you."

"Well, I play football." Stefan admitted.

"You should try out for the team! Matt plays, so does Tyler."

"Tyler?" Stefan asked curiously.

Corinne sighed, "The guy who punched me in the face," she explained, unable to keep the anger out of her voice. "Ex-boyfriend?" Stefan asked.

Corinne scoffed, "No, Tyler was not my boyfriend. He was... I don't know what he was. Other than a jerk."

"Clearly a jerk if he punched you in the face." Stefan joked.

Corinne laughed, "No, it wasn't like that. He was aiming for Jeremy, but I jumped in the way. I haven't talked to him, Tyler, yet. I know he feels terrible about this, it's different from his usual pattern of hurting me emotionally, that doesn't bother him, but hurting me physically is going to destroy him."

"You love him."

"I do," she admitted. "But it's not enough."

Stefan stared at her in awe, then said, "I think you should tell him that."

Corinne nodded, "Yeah, I should go do that. Thank you, Stefan."

"For what?"

"For being so nice to me, for giving me advice, you made me feel like you actually cared, so... Thanks," she said, smiling warmly at him and starting to walk off. "Corinne." He called, waiting until she turned around again. "I do care."

"It's what friends do." He added, giving her the same warm smile as she gave him. "And you're welcome."

"I'll see you, Stefan," she said.

"See you, Corinne."

* * *

 **To be continued...**

 _Next chapter: Tyler and Corinne's conversation._


	8. Eight

**AN:** This is just a really short ending to the last chapter! I really don't like the episode _Night of The Comet_ so now that it's over I should start updating frequently again. Let me know what you think! :)

* * *

Corinne found Tyler exactly where she thought she would find him; sitting at the bar inside The Grille. "Hey," she greeted, speaking softly and offering him a small smile. His eyes were slightly unfocused as they met hers, and he winced at the sight of her face. "I am so sorry Corinne."

"It's not as bad as it looks," she assured him.

He scoffed in response, his eyes shooting to the cast on her wrist. "That looks bad."

She shrugged, "It'll heal. Can we talk?" she asked, then added, "Alone."

"Where?"

"Follow me," she said, leading him towards a booth in the back of the restaurant, which wasn't crowded since everyone was outside waiting on the comet to arrive. They sat down on opposite sides of the table, creating a distance that Corinne needed to get through this conversation. _You can do this_ , she told herself.

"Listen Tyler, I don't blame you; so don't blame yourself."

"Well that's the problem," Tyler said, an edge to his voice. "I hurt you and you don't even blame me."

Corinne sighed, reaching for his hands until he abruptly pulled away, "Tyler, I was the one who got between two guys fighting. You never would've swung if you knew I was going to intervene."

"So that's it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "You think you can just forgive me and we can go back to the way things were before?"

Corinne scoffed, "I know you guys think I'm naïve, but I'm not. I know that things can't go back to the way they were before, and honestly Tyler, I don't want them to. Because _before_ wasn't much better than _now_."

"Really? You're not naïve?" Tyler said, clearly not believing what she was saying. "How long has this been going on, Corinne? Three years?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, exasperation in her voice. _Of course this can't be easy_ , she thought.

"Someone who wasn't naïve would've known from the start that this wouldn't work." He said, waving between the two of them. "All I do is hurt you Corinne, and every time you come running back like the _naïve_ little girl that you are."

She flinched at his derisiveness. "Are you done?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

He nodded. "Good," she said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Now it's my turn; I love you Tyler, you know that, and I've been pretending for a long time that I didn't care when you hurt me over and over and over again. But not anymore. I can't do this anymore... I won't. So good luck finding another _naïve_ little girl to toy with, because it's not me anymore."

Tyler stared at her in shock, not even registering when she got up and walked away.

* * *

 **To be continued...**


	9. Nine

**AN:** Hi everyone, sorry this took so long! I love this episode so I wanted to make sure fitting Corinne into it didn't change it too much. I'm going to have so much fun writing Corinne/Damon interactions (not as a couple) and seeing if/how that changes the way Tyler feels about Corinne. Let me know what you think! I'll update soon depending on the amount of feedback I get; enjoy! :)

* * *

Bonnie knocked on Corinne's door, not expecting the answer she got from the younger girl. "Go away, Elena!" Corinne shouted, stomping over to unlock and fling open her bedroom door. "What do you want?" she asked, only to discover that the person behind the door wasn't her sister, rather her sister's best friend, Bonnie. "Oh, sorry Bon. You can come in," she offered, stepping back to allow the mocha skinned girl to enter the room.

"Are you and Elena fighting already?" Bonnie asked, taking a seat on the edge of Corinne's bed.

Corinne sighed, moving around to sit crisscrossed on her bed, "No, not really. She keeps asking me about Tyler and I keep telling her I don't want to talk about it."

"Aha, I heard about that. I figured that was the reason you didn't come to school today."

"He didn't say anything to you, right?" Corinne asked, not sure what she wanted the answer to be.

Bonnie frowned, gently touching Corinne's hand. "No, but are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Corinne shot Bonnie a warning look, "No, I don't want to talk about it. I'll tell you the same thing I told Elena; Tyler and I are over, there's _nothing_ else to talk about."

"Really?" Bonnie asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly. "Because I heard a rumor you told him you loved him."

Corinne quickly averted her eyes, her face flushing with embarrassment. "Oh my God. Who told you that?"

"I heard it from Caroline, but she said you didn't tell her, and Elena already knew about it so I'm assuming Caroline called her too."

"Ugh!" Corinne groaned, fighting the urge to punch or throw something. "I can't believe he told people... actually, I can. He's a vindictive asshole."

Bonnie laughed, getting a glare from Corinne. "Okay, I'm sorry," she said. "Let's change the subject, did you hear about Caroline's new boyfriend?"

"What?"

"Yeah, his name is Damon. But get this, he's Stefan's older brother." Bonnie revealed. Suddenly, Corinne thought back to that night at The Grille when Elena asked Stefan if he had any siblings. _'None that I talk to,'_ Stefan had said.

"Wow, that's... wow." Corinne breathed out.

"Yeah," Bonnie agreed. "They don't look alike at all. I never would've known they were related if Elena hadn't told me his last name was Salvatore."

"Small world," Corinne said, playfully nudging Bonnie. "Elena told me you were worried about her relationship with Stefan."

"I accidentally touched Stefan and I got a really bad feeling."

"That's it?" Corinne asked.

Bonnie half-groaned half-laughed, "Elena said the exact same thing. It was bad, bad."

Corinne shrugged, "I like him."

"What?" Bonnie rolled her eyes. "You've had like one conversation with him."

"I talked to him the other night, before I ended things with Tyler. He seemed really nice."

"I don't know... I have a great idea, why don't you come downstairs with me?"

"Why?" Corinne asked. "Elena's already down there."

"Yeah, but once Stefan gets here I'll be the awkward third-wheel," Bonnie explained, then added, "Please, Corinne?"

" _Ugh_. Fine, I'll be down in a minute." Corinne relented.

"Thanks, you're the best!" Bonnie exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the younger girl. "Yeah, yeah, of course I am," Corinne mumbled, pushing Bonnie off her and pointing towards the door. "Go, I need to get ready."

"I love you!" Bonnie called over her shoulder, the door slowly closing behind her.

Corinne sighed, changing into a pretty red dress, black jacket, and black heeled ankle-booties. ** Elena's outfit in American Gothic S4E18 ** She glanced in the mirror at her hair, styled in loose waves flowing freely down her back. "It's now or never," she said to herself, taking a deep breath before leaving the comfort of her bedroom and making the decent downstairs.

Upon entering the kitchen, she found Elena, Bonnie, and Stefan sitting around the table in awkward silence as Elena tried to get Bonnie to tell Stefan about her family. "Um, divorced. No mom. Live with my dad."

Elena shot Bonnie a disapproving glare, "No, about the witches. Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches. It's really cool."

"Cool isn't the word I'd use." Bonnie muttered, twirling her fork around her plate.

"Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not too well versed but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here during the 1800s." Stefan said.

"My family came by way of Salem," Bonnie explained.

"Really? Salem witches?" Stefan asked, sounding genuinely interested, getting a small smile and a nod from Bonnie. "I'd say that's pretty cool," Stefan added, sharing a happy look with a smiling Elena.

"Really? Why?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Salem witches are a heroic example of individualism and nonconformity," Stefan explained, this time getting a genuine smile out of Bonnie. "Yeah, they are."

"Hi Stefan," Corinne greeted, finally making her presence known. "Lena, Bonnie," she acknowledged, sitting down in the empty seat next to Bonnie.

"Good to see you again, Corinne," Stefan replied, smiling warmly at the younger girl.

Elena looked genuinely surprised – and extremely pleased – to see Corinne standing there. "Hey, I thought you were _busy_ tonight," she said, playfully using her sister's earlier words against her.

Corinne shrugged, pointing at the mocha skinned girl next to her. "Bonnie annoyed me until I agreed to come downstairs," she explained, making Elena and Stefan laugh.

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "You know you wanted to come." Corinne started to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. "I'll get it," she said.

"I wonder who that could be," Elena said, getting up from her seat and following Corinne to the door.

Corinne opened the door to reveal Caroline standing next to a smirking Damon, "Surprise!" Caroline greeted cheerfully. "Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought dessert," she explained, thrusting a store-bought strawberry cake into Corinne's arms.

"Oh."

"Hope you don't mind," Damon added, seeing Elena's surprised look.

At the sound of his brother's voice, Stefan quickly came to stand in front of the door. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Waiting for Elena to invite me in," Damon replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, yeah, you can..." Elena started to say, but was abruptly cut-off by Stefan. "No, no, no. He can't, uh...he can't stay. Can you, Damon?" Stefan asked, imploring Damon with his eyes not to do this.

"Get in here," Caroline demanded.

"We're just...finishing up," Stefan said, looking for any excuse possible for his brother not to be invited into the house.

"It's fine. Just come on in," Elena said, forcing Stefan to move so Damon could walk through the doorway. "You have a beautiful home, Elena," Damon said, smirking at his brother.

"Thank you." Elena responded, closing the door.

Corinne was still standing in the same place, a shocked look on her face at what had just transpired. "You okay?" Elena asked, concern clear in her voice. Corinne nodded, "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks," she muttered, quickly following their guests into the living-room.

Elena sighed, wondering again what happened to her sister in her months away. _Only time will tell_ , her subconscious reminded.

* * *

 **To be continued...**

 _(Next is Chapter 10. which will include Corinne and Damon's first conversation!)_


	10. Ten

**AN** : Hi guys! I had my usual 'sorry for the lapse in updates' speech ready filled with the usual excuses 'sorry but I wanted this chapter to be perfect' and even though those excuses are genuinely true, I still feel bad about not updating because I hate waiting for updates myself. I really like the way this chapter turned out (I spent a lot of time on it, lol) so I didn't want to potentially ruin it by continuing, which is why it's so short compared to my other chapters (which aren't that long either). I'm working on two new stories right now (actually they aren't new because I've been writing them for a long time and haven't ever finished or posted them).I hope you like this chapter and take the time to review letting me know what you thought. I love talking to people about writing; so if you ever wants to talk about my stories or your stories then please send me a message. Be sure to let me know what you thought of Corinne and Damon's interaction!

* * *

They were settled in the living room drinking coffee and talking about school and sports – particularly football and cheerleading. "I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team today," said Caroline, happily sitting on the arm of Damon's lounge chair. "Tyler must be seething, but good for you. Go for it," she added, ignoring the look of discomfort on her best friend's face when her ex-boyfriend's name was mentioned.

"That's what I always tell him," Damon interjected, the forced level of enthusiasm in his voice obvious to everyone listening. "You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it."

"Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today," Caroline admitted, looking sadly at Elena. "It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines."

"I'll work with her, she'll get it." Bonnie interrupted, shooting Caroline a warning look that the blonde completely ignored. "I guess we can put her in the back," Caroline mused, more to herself than to anyone else.

"You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena," Damon observed, sounding like his goal was to ease the tension between the group. Elena forced a fake smile onto her face, taking a long drink of her coffee to hide her annoyed expression behind her cup.

"Oh, it's just 'cause her parents died." Caroline quickly explained, her tone of voice casual like she was talking about the weather and not the death of two of her best friend's parents. "Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be way more fun."

Corinne wasn't sure how to feel about or handle the situation; on one hand, she didn't like the way Caroline was talking to and about Elena and that she was clearly making her sister feel uncomfortable in her own home. On the other hand, she knew that Caroline didn't realize she was crossing a line or being so insensitive and that she never would've been so hurtful on purpose. But, Elena was her sister and this was their house.

"And I say that with complete sensitivity," Caroline added, sensing the glares being sent her way in all directions.

"Care, can you not talk to or about my sister like that? Thanks." Corinne asked, phrasing it as a question when it was meant to be taken as a warning. This was the first time she'd spoken since Caroline and Damon arrived unannounced. The more she thought about the fact that they weren't invited in the first place, the more the situation pissed her off.

"God, it was the exact opposite with Corinne. She spent the summer dancing and partying in Europe and she _still_ nailed all the routines," Caroline happily exclaimed, oblivious to Corinne's exasperation when her time in Europe became the topic of yet another conversation.

"Europe?" Damon asked, suddenly taking an interest in Corinne's presence. "Anywhere in particular?"

"Paris, Milan, Vienna, London, Prague, Amsterdam, Berlin." Corinne revealed, not sure where the conversation was going. "I'm a dancer," she explained, glancing upward to make eye-contact with Damon for the first time.

"Hmm." He mused, staring intently at the younger girl who looked so much like both Elena and Katherine. There were differences, mainly that Corinne was somewhere between two and three years younger than them and that she was so much smaller in both size in height.

She was far too young for him, but she could still be fun to have around; to entertain himself and to irritate Stefan. He leaned forward, prepared to compel her before Stefan could give her vervain. However, upon his moving towards her, she shot out of her seat. "Excuse me, I have to help Elena with the dishes," she said, immediately disappearing into the kitchen.

"Huh," Damon said to himself. "That was new."

Corinne entered the kitchen just as Caroline and Bonnie were re-entering the living room. "Hey," she mumbled, boosting herself onto the counter so she could talk to Elena while she washed the dishes. "Well, tonight was... interesting...to say the least," Corinne said, attempting to start a conversation instead of sitting in awkward silence.

"Yeah, you could say that," Elena agreed, turning to look at Corinne, who looked surprisingly happier than she had this morning. "Thanks for defending me. I know you don't like arguing with Caroline." Corinne shrugged, "I _have_ to defend you; you're my _sister_ ," she said, downplaying the situation. "Anyways, you're welcome."

"Corinne, you looked upset when Caroline mentioned Europe. Why is that?" Elena hesitantly asked.

"I—"

* * *

 **To be continued...**

 _(Next is Chapter 11. which will include a long Elena/Damon/Corinne conversation!)_


	11. Eleven

"One more." Damon announced, entering the kitchen with an empty glass in his hand.

"Oh, thank you." Elena replied, reaching for the glass as it slipped through her fingers and plummeted to the floor but Damon caught it before it could shatter. He held it up with his trademark smirk plastered on his face.

Elena giggled, "Nice save."

"I like you. You know how to laugh," Damon pointed out, moving a dish from the sink to the dishwasher. "And you make Stefan smile, which is something I haven't seen in a very long time." He admitted. Corinne narrowed her eyes, sensing the double meaning behind Damon's words and also noticing the flirty tone in his voice as he spoke to his brother's new girlfriend.

"Earlier, did you mean...Katherine?" Elena asked hesitantly.

"Mmhm," Damon mused.

"I'm sorry," Corinne interrupted. "But who is Katherine?"

"Stefan's ex-girlfriend. She, um, died." Elena answered.

"Oh." Corinne nodded, turning her attention to Damon. "How did she die?"

"Corinne!" Elena hissed, shooting her nosy sister a glare that she ignored as she waited expectantly for Damon to answer her question.

"It's fine, Elena. And Corinne, to answer your question, in a fire. Tragic fire." He said solemnly.

"Recently?" Elena inquired.

"It seems like it was yesterday." Damon said, and again Corinne could detect a hidden meaning in his answer.

Elena glanced at Corinne for a moment before she asked, "What was she like?"

"She was beautiful. A lot like you in that department." Damon slyly complimented. "She was also very complicated and selfish and at times not very kind, but very sexy and seductive." He turned to Corinne, smirking. "A lot like _you_ in that department."

Corinne rolled her eyes, biting back the snarky comment on the tip of her tongue. "So which one of you dated her first?" She asked instead. It was obvious that Damon harbored deep feelings for this Katherine and that they had been involved somehow, despite the fact that everyone, including Corinne, had been led to believe that she was Stefan's girlfriend. Corinne found herself becoming very caught up in Damon's story. It was like every romance novel she ever read; two brothers fall for the same girl and fight for her affections, girl dies in a tragic fire and now the brothers hate each other.

"Nicely deduced. Ask Stefan. I'm sure his answer differs from mine." Damon admitted, before shifting the conversation in a different direction. "I'd quit cheerleading if I were you." He said.

"Why do you say that?" Corinne asked, even though she was sure his words were directed towards Elena.

"Oh, I saw Elena at practice." He said, turning to Elena. "You looked miserable."

"You saw that?" Elena asked.

Corinne was surprised he noticed anything over his sucking face with Caroline.

"Am I wrong?" He asked.

Elena sighed, "I used to love it. It was fun. Things are different this year. Everything that used to matter doesn't anymore." She admitted, and Corinne frowned.

"So don't let it." Damon said, as if it was that easy. "Quit, move on. Problem solved. Ta-da."

"Some things could matter again." Corinne pointed out, selfishly hoping that Elena didn't take Damon's advice about quitting cheerleading. It was something they did together, and Corinne didn't want that to change.

"Maybe. But...seems a little unrealistic to me."

"I'm sorry. About Katherine. You lost her, too." Elena said, surprising both Damon and Corinne, but before either of them could voice a response they were interrupted by Bonnie."Hey. Need some help?" She asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

 **To be continued...**


End file.
